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This is the last post in the series titled “Set the Captives Free ~ Be Free Today!” We’ve been exploring how to walk in the freedom that Jesus Christ died to give us. Today’s post is about knowing our assignment. In this series so far we’ve looked at:

This last post will explore what our assignment is ~ The Great Commission.

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-19

We are to share Jesus with everyone. But how do we do this? Sharing Jesus is done through our living.

As we become intentional about our walk with Him, He will grow in us the things necessary to share Him with others.

Do you see how beautiful His ways are? Let’s not make it any more difficult. It is beautiful in its simplicity. Spend time with Him, allowing Him to transform your life. As your life is transformed, Christ starts showing through you. Let’s look at Scripture to see how this works.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:22-25

As we make an intentional choice to know God in our lives, He will produce in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Many of us have desired these traits – or fruits – for so long. We’ve tried to obtain them in our own strength. When we realize that they are GIVEN to us by the Holy Spirit as we spend time in His presence, we obtain freedom.

We need to stop striving and contending for the fruit in our own strength.

As we spend time in prayer with Jesus and as we spend time getting to know Him in His Word, the Holy Spirit produces the goodness of Christ in us. This is how we share Him with those around us.

In my own life, I can attest to this being the very way that drew me to God. It was through the life of a dear friend. She exhibited peace, love and joy no matter what was shaking all around her. I was drawn to that even before I realized it was Jesus. We are each created to have Jesus as the very core of our being. Without Him, we are lost with a deep void in our being. We stumble around in the dark trying to find our way. When we see another person who may be dealing with the same things that we are dealing with but who are so much more in control and in peace, we can’t help but to gravitate towards that person.

One thing that I never knew before was that we don’t seek God. He seeks us. He will seek us through the lives of others just as he did through my friend. He sought me through my desire to find out more about her peace and joy. Each of our lives are so closely intertwined in His master plan, we will never fully understand our importance and our impact in this world. But when we grow in obedience to Him and when we allow Him to transform us, He will use us to draw others close to Him.

He will seek others through our living.

His ways are so much higher than our ways and I thank Him daily for that truth.

Another key way that we share Jesus with others is by sharing how He is working in our lives.

When we tell others of the things that He is speaking to us, the dreams He is giving to us and the other ways He is working in us, it encourages and uplifts them as well as us.

So get to work sharing Jesus! After all, it is what we are called to do!

Here is my prayer for each of us today:

Dear Father,
Thank You for this Word. Thank you for seeking us even before we know of our need for You. Thank you for surrounding us with just the right people who will share Your Son Jesus. Jesus, We praise You and adore You. Father, we ask that You bless Jesus as He stands in intercession for each of us. Guide us and direct us and give each of us a deep, deep desire to never stop seeking the depths of Your love.

We ask that You create in each of us pure hearts and clean spirits. Cleanse us as we read Your Word. We ask that You give us dreams and visions as we sleep. Speak in new ways and empower us to share what You are doing with everyone.

Let’s look at 5 keys to anchoring our identity in Christ.

This is the 5th post in a series titled “Set the Captives Free.” We’ve been looking at how we can walk in the freedom that Jesus died to give us. Life is hard when we live in our own strength and when we focus on ourselves and our problems. But when we live in Christ and set our focus on Him, we can rest, have peace and enjoy life. He did all the work for us to live victorious lives.

6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”John 10:6-10

In Christ alone we find our salvation. When we remain in Christ, He will take care of us. In the Scripture above, Jesus uses an illustration of the shepherd and his sheep. Sheep follow their shepherd because they know his voice which brings us to the first key to anchoring our identity in Christ Jesus.

Key #1 – Know His voice.

As we dig into the Bible, we will gain knowledge and understanding. When we read the Word, God will give us revelation and understanding and plant it in our hearts. When we know the Word, we will not be led astray by the enemy whose main purpose in life is to steal, kill and destroy. The enemy wants to keep us in bondage of regret, fear, shame and anything else you can think of that keeps us locked up inside. When we are in bondage, our focus is inward making it impossible to see all those around us who are desperately in need of Jesus.

In the book of John, we see that Jesus Christ is the Word. Pause just one minute and think about what this means. When we dig into the Word, we are digging into Jesus. The more we read the Word, the more we get to know who Jesus Christ really is and the more permanently etched His voice within us becomes.

In the beginning the Word already existed.The Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He existed in the beginning with God.3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.John 1:1-5

And John goes on to tell us that the Word lived among us.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.John 1:14

God’s ways are so much higher than our ways.

Not only do we have an incredible book of instruction for all areas of our life, but the Word is the very heartbeat of Jesus Christ. This book reveals to us Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. Reading the Word is how we learn to hear His voice. When you read the Word, start looking for Jesus in every single book and chapter. You will find Him throughout. It truly is amazing grace!

Key #2 – Know that He is in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 1 John 4:13-15

God has given us His Spirit to live within us. When we declare Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we have His very Spirit living within us to guide us and teach us and comfort us. It is the Holy Spirit within who gives us the revelation of the Word. He opens it up in our hearts and allows it to take root within us.

Key #3 – Know that we are in Him.

Key #2 is that Christ is in us. Key #3 is that we are in Christ. We are protected from the inside out.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.1 Corinthians 12:27

Christ is the Head of the Body and we are the Body. Together we are the Church. This is a powerful truth. The Church is not four walls and a steeple. It is a living, moving, breathing, active Body of believers who are tucked away in all corners of the world to share the light and love of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit within us gives us the boldness to proclaim His name.

Key #4 – Know how He is, we are right now.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17 (NKJV)

As He is, so are we. Repeat a few more times. As He is, so are we. And how is He? In the verse right before this verse we see that God is love. It goes on to say that perfect love casts out all fear. There is no fear in Christ. There is no condemnation in Christ. Only love. How He is, so are we!

God is love ~ 1 John 4:16 ~ We are love.

He is the light of the world ~ John 8:12 ~ We are the light.

Key #5 – Know we are free from our past.

The final key we’ll look at in this post is that we are no longer defined by our past. When Christ died on the cross, He redeemed our past so we no longer have any legal ownership of it!

So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter,[f] or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Paul tells us what belongs to us and he specifically mentions the present and the future. Take note that he does not mention the past. We do not own our past. When we allow things in our past to tie us down in regret, shame, fear, condemnation or the like we are perverting the work that Jesus did on the cross. The only way we can look at our past is through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. To look at it any other way is to view it in a distorted manner which leads us to distorted beliefs. Put the past in the past and let it stay there.

If you would like to read the past posts in this series, here are the links:

The next post, and last post, in this series will help us understand what is next in our walk. We’ll talk about our assignment in Christ.

Here is my prayer for all of us:

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your written Word which became flesh to live among us. Thank You for the Word being alive and active in our lives. As we read Your Word, please give each of us discernment and knowledge. Help us tuck it away in our hearts so that we can stand strong against the enemy. We thank You for Jesus Christ. We thank You for Your ways being so much higher than our ways. Help each of us fully realize that You are in us and we are in You. For this and for so much more we are forever grateful and humbled. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Are you in a dark place right now and find it difficult to see any light at all?

God laid on my heart to share this story to give you hope and encouragement. This is the story about Joseph. Joseph was his father’s favorite son. If you recall, Jacob (also known as Israel) is Joseph’s father. Because of their father’s great love for Joseph, Joseph’s brothers were very jealous and they hated him.

At a young age, Joseph had a couple dreams that he would one day reign over his brothers and family. He unwisely shared this dream with his brothers which further infuriated them.

One day, Israel sent Joseph out to the field where his brothers were feeding their flocks to see if all was well. His brothers saw him coming and plotted to kill him. Then they decided against killing him and instead were going to throw him in a pit and leave him there. About this time, a band of Ishmaelites were coming along so they changed their minds again and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites.

Joseph now finds himself in slavery.

He went from being the beloved son to a slave in the blink of an eye because of jealousy and hatred. Because of the acts of other people against him.

But God…

Joseph found favor from the Lord and as a result of this, he also found favor with men. You can read more about the life of Joseph in starting in Genesis chapter 37 through chapter 50.

In slavery, Joseph found favor from his master until his master’s wife lied which got him thrown in jail. In jail, he found favor even though he was held in jail for years. Then one day, the King of Egypt called for Joseph to interpret a dream, which God did through Joseph. Joseph found favor from the King. I am convinced that he found favor because he gave honor and glory to God for the interpretation of the dream. Because of this favor, the King made Joseph second in command, with only the King in a higher position than him.

The King’s dream came true – seven years of extreme abundance and seven years of extreme drought. Joseph wisely had all of Egypt store up 1/5 of all things produced during the seven years of abundance so they had plenty during the seven years of drought. In fact, they became the supplier to all of the known world at that time during those hard years.

Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, only they didn’t know it was their brother even though Joseph recognized them.

This is where most of us would find ourselves at a crossroads.

What to do? Deny your brothers the only food found in the world? Or feed your brothers? Joseph not only feeds his brothers but he does so in banquet style. He sets up the banquet table within his own home for his brothers. The brothers that betrayed and despised him. Yet he still loved them. Sadly, his brothers could not understand this act of grace. They questioned and doubted Joseph’s motives thinking they would be sold into slavery themselves.

This breaks my heart because it’s a picture of a lot of people today. The offer of grace from Jesus Christ is “too good to be true” and they scoff and doubt.

Joseph’s words to his brothers are:

“Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.”
Genesis 43:23

God desires to give us treasure even when we do nothing at all to deserve it. Oftentimes in spite of ourselves.

Can you relate this to your situation? Do you think that you are being punished for something you did or didn’t do? God does not punish us. He loves us abundantly and in such grand ways. If you will only open your eyes to see, you can experience grace.

What a lovely picture of Jesus we see in Joseph’s life.

Joseph was selfless in all that he did. For all the turmoil, injustices and trauma he experienced in his life, he could have become very bitter and hardened. But Joseph was the exact opposite. He grew to be a very selfless, loving picture of Jesus Christ. He always gave God the glory in all that he did.

Joseph finally revealed to his brothers his identity. And the Scripture tells us in detail how Joseph took care of his brothers and their families. He moved them all to Egypt so they would have plenty during the remaining five years of the drought.

Scripture does not tell us what Joseph’s brothers thought when they found out who he really was. There is no record because that is not where our focus should be. We need to focus on the actions of Joseph, which reflect grace. We need to learn from him. Feeding on what Joseph’s brothers did or didn’t say would not serve us well.

Feeding on grace will always make us better people.

When his brothers asked for forgiveness, Joseph was quick to say that it was God who sent him to Egypt, not blaming his brothers for sending him there. He told them that God sent him ahead to preserve a posterity for his father and brothers in the earth. Wow. This is grace in action. No bitterness. No hate. No revenge. No “why me, Lord?” Just grace.

Grace wins over hate. Every. Single. Time.

Only God.

Even though Joseph dealt with so very much, he was able to see God because he sought God. We do not have record of Joseph praying for God to release him to be able to return to Israel and his family. We do not have record of Joseph using his favor with men to release him to return to his homeland. Joseph accepted the situation he was in at any given moment as a situation of God’s choosing.

So if you find yourself in a hard situation today and see no light at all, look within and ask yourself a few tough questions.

Are you focused on yourself or God?

Are you dwelling on the unfairness of your situation? Or are you asking God to show you the good in your situation?

Are you believing God’s word that He will work together all things for good for those who love Him? All means all. In Joseph’s life, God worked together all things for good. And look how many people benefited from that good. Even nations.

I know the darkness can be suffocating but you need to take the first step necessary to see God in your darkness. That first step is to seek Him. He desires for all of us to want to be with Him in an intimate relationship.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Matthew 6:33

God is there with you and has been the entire time.

He’s waiting on you to call upon His name. He’s waiting on you to seek His face.

Dear Father,
Today I lift up those who are burdened and weary. I lift up those who are scarred from the battle. Father, I ask that You give each of these children a revelation of Your love and Your goodness. Show them that if they will rest in You, You will fight for them. Teach them to be still so they can get to know You. Surround these people with people who love You and who will love them sacrificially. People who will speak honesty and truth to them so that they can see the light.. Show them Jesus. In His precious name we pray.
Amen♥

This is the 4th post in a series titled “Set the Captives Free.” We’ve been talking about walking in the freedom that Jesus died to give us. So many of us in the Body of Christ get caught up in personal bondage that takes our focus off of God.

The enemy slips in and catches our attention with insecurities, lack, fear, guilt, shame, and condemnation. He tries to steal our identity. If we don’t know who we are in Christ, we can get caught in his trap and it’s there that we neglect our call from Him.

Today we’ll explore what truly happened the day that Jesus died.

To walk in freedom, we need to have a better understanding of the power of the cross and how it relates to our walk.

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18:20

In Matthew 28:18 above, Jesus tells the disciples that He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth showing us that He took the authority back from Satan the minute He died. Satan gained authority when Adam and Eve handed it to him in the Garden of Eden. In the two verses in Genesis below, we see that it was God’s initial plan for man to govern the earth and reign over all created things.

27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1:27-28

But we know that it wasn’t long at all that Satan slithered in and conned them out of that authority. He could not steal the authority but he could con them into giving it to him and that’s just what they did. And only Jesus could regain that authority from Satan. Thank You, Jesus!

Jesus was fully man as well as fully God.

When He came to earth to walk with us, He chose to leave His divinity and walk in the flesh as man. He showed us a perfect picture of how we would walk in our flesh after His resurrection and ascension.

Jesus walked IN the power of the Holy Spirit and He has given us that same ability today. How do we know that He walked in the power of the Holy Spirit? Let’s look at the Word:

16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”Matthew 3:16-17

32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”John 1:32-34

As soon as Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit settled on Him.

We have further confirmation in the Scripture that records His temptation in the desert.

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.Luke 4:1-2 (emphasis mine)

So Jesus had to walk among us as fully man to be the One who could truly walk without sin. Also He did this to give us a role model to set our sights on imitating. Because He walked without sin, God’s redemption plan is absolutely beautiful. He fulfilled the totality of the Law.

The Father’s love for us is so great, He couldn’t stand to leave us in spiritual darkness.

From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, He had this redemption plan in mind for us. Only a loving Father can save us when we do not deserve to be saved. Only a Father with such compassion and empathy for His children can put this plan into place. He loves us that much. Believe it. This is truth!

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 1 Thessalonians 5:9

When Jesus died on the cross, He took our place. I know we all have heard these words before. But let’s stop a minute and focus on what that means.

Jesus had to be spiritually separated from His Father.

He had to be spiritually separated from His Father so that we never have to be separated from Him. Even though He wasn’t separated from His Father for long, for a brief time, He knew the pain of that separation so that we never have to know that pain.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:38-39

The cross holds the very power of God.

When we stake our belief in the work Jesus did on the cross, we are believing God for so much more. The cross is the very power of God.

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18

When Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him. When He rose from the grave, we rose with Him. Understanding this is vital to walking in freedom. Our flesh and sinful nature died with Jesus. And we were resurrected with new life in Christ!

14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.Galatians 6:14-16

When we live by the power of the cross, we are new people of God.

The only other time in Scripture that we see a new people of God is in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam and Eve. But we are no longer children of Adam and Eve. Because of the work Jesus did on the cross, we are new creations – a new race of people – in Christ.

I’m going to stop here with this powerful truth. We are no longer the sinful man. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. IN CHRIST JESUS. In Christ. Please spend some time focusing on what this means.

Allow this knowledge to become heart knowledge.

When it does, it will transform your life.

We’ll continue with this series of setting the captives free with our last two posts:

Knowing who we are in Jesus.

Knowing our assignment.

Here is my prayer for all of us today:

Dear Father,

Thank You for Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your great love for each of Your children. Help each of us obtain heart knowledge of the powerful, life-saving, life-changing work of the cross. We ask that You pour truth into each of us to replace those things that are not of You such as fear, guilt, shame, condemnation. We know that You sent Jesus to die for us so that we could be free from these things.

Teach us what that freedom is. Continue to work in each of our hearts. Create in us pure hearts and enable us to live holy lives that are pleasing to You and You alone. Surround each of us with friends and family who will encourage and love us. People who will help us become the people You desire us to be. For all this and so much more we are forever grateful. To You alone goes the glory.

A demotion in the world brought me a promotion in God’s kingdom.

Only God.

I’ve never felt led to share my full testimony until now. But this week, God is clearly telling me to “share it now.” I have learned over the years to simply be obedient. So here’s my story starting with a short video.

Since 1990, I’ve worked for a large law firm. I was 21 years old when I started as a legal secretary. I was also a full time student in college and was ready to take on the world. I have always loved clothes and shoes and I could not wait until I was out of college to get a full time job so I could afford the things I wanted. So I burned the candle at both ends.

Not long after I was hired in 1990, the firm hired a new executive director. He took me under his wing and off we went. Within a year, I received my first promotion. The next couple promotions came just as quickly. I had earned the favor of many because I was a hard worker and I went over and above what I was asked to do.

In 1992, I got married to my very best friend. In 1993, we had our first child. In 1995, our second child came along and in 1998 our third child was born.

Let me add another dimension to this story.

In 1995, we bought our first home. It was a small 2 bedroom home and we immediately went about remodeling it. We removed a wall with a full brick fireplace. My husband removed brick by brick of that fireplace including the chimney. CRAZY! As soon as we finished making that house beautiful, we sold it and bought an old farmhouse that had been built in the late 1800’s. We immediately set about remodeling this house as well.

Over the next few years, we ripped out just about everything we could in that house. We stripped it right down to the studs and re-wired, re-plumbed, hung drywall, and anything else you can think of. In the middle of this, we were both working full time with 3 babies. But I was determined to have a beautiful home. You know, a house that would be worthy of the magazine covers! So I kept pushing. We pulled many all-nighters to finish up last minute things to stay on schedule.

We came very close to losing our marriage because of this frantic pace that we set for ourselves.

But I still didn’t stop pressing forward in this big world.

In 2002, I had 3 children ages 3 to 8 and I was promoted once again. In 2002, we also decided to sell our farmhouse so we could build a new home. And that’s what we did. We rented for a couple years while we built our dream home which we moved in November of 2004.

Our kids were getting a little older and were very active in many sports so our “crazy” just shifted from home remodel to multiple ballfields every night. We did baseball, softball, football and basketball. We did travelling leagues and all-star leagues. Every evening and every weekend were packed full.

Through all of this, God is not part of our lives other than maybe on Easter and Christmas.

In 2008, I was promoted once again to the highest level within my department.

I was now the Director. We have offices in many different states so this position required lots of travel and long hours.

Ironically, 2008 is also when God started speaking to me and calling me towards Him.

Prior to 2008, I was aware of God but I had never accepted Him into my heart. From a young age, I remember being pulled toward Him. I would attempt to read the Bible but would get no further than Genesis chapter 1 (yes, that’s where I started each time because I didn’t know any better).

Even though I had an awareness of God at a young age, I never gave Him too much of my time and certainly not my heart until 2008.

In February of 2008, I had a routine surgery and was supposed to be back to work within a week or less. Something happened during the surgery and my body did not recover as quickly as most so I was laid out on my couch for 3 weeks.

But God. During this time He gripped my heart.

Clicking through the TV on a weekday morning, I found an older gentleman who taught the Bible verse by verse. He was in Second Corinthians and he was explaining law and grace. God used his words to change my heart forever.

God made Romans 8:28 come alive in my life. You know, the part that reads “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.” He used a botched surgery to save my soul.

Why do I share all of this with you? Our testimony is what overcomes the enemy.

When we share our testimony with transparency and truth, God will use our words to set another free!

Don’t ever underestimate the power of your testimony.

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. Revelation 12:11

Since that time, I continue to learn more and more about the Word. I pray and ask God to guide me and lead me as I learn. If you don’t already have a hunger for the Word, ask God and He will give you a hunger that you can spend a lifetime trying to satisfy.

Getting back to my story, in late 2011 and into 2012, I grew dissatisfied in my job. Working long hours and carrying stress from the position weighed me down. That is when I knew I needed to make a change. God was gradually showing me that I needed to hop off the world-track.

In my heart, I knew I needed to be demoted.

It took me a couple of months to work up the courage to speak to my boss. The executive director who joined the firm at the same time that I did retired a few years before this. We had a new executive director who I liked and respected very much. One day, I had that discussion with him. I explained that I was in over my head and I needed relief that I felt would only come in the form of me stepping out of the lead role. At first, he told me he had confidence in me being able to continue doing the job.

I had to convince him I no longer wanted the job. This was scary because I could have been shown the door. But again, I work at a wonderful firm with wonderful leaders.

I received my demotion. And it saved my life.

Don’t ever be afraid to follow God’s lead. I could not afford to worry about what others would think if I got demoted. I couldn’t afford to be embarassed. My walk with God was too important to me. I knew I would be well when I obeyed His command. Little did I know how very well I would be!

I now report to the person who replaced me and I have a great relationship with him. The stress is gone and I can focus on the calling God has on my life – to teach and encourage other believers so they can rise up to their own calling.I’m also called to reach out to those who do not yet know Jesus.

By me sharing my story and sharing how Jesus works in my own life, I’m providing a way for God to transform lives.

It is through the sharing of our stories when God can work wonders.

Another thing happened in 2012. In addition to knowing God was leading me toward a job change, I also knew He wanted us to make a physical move. So we sold our dream home. God brought us to a nice home but it is not something that I ever would have chosen on my own. In fact, when we first bought our home, I wasn’t crazy about the design. But God. Over the last few years, He has given me a fondness for our house and it is now our home. We are settled and very thankful.

I put homes, possessions and positions above God.

This is nothing more than idolatry. Anything that comes before God is an idol in our lives. It’s not that He doesn’t want us to have nice things. It’s when these “things” are more important than Him in our lives that He gives us a choice.

Choose Him today over whatever He may be calling you away from in your life. You won’t regret it:).

Don’t allow the enemy to convince you that people do not want to hear your story.

That’s simply a lie from the master liar. God tells us just the opposite. Share your story. Be open and transparent. The things that you’ve walked through and the lessons you’ve learned along the way can be just what another person desperately needs to hear.

The verse below speaks about my life before Jesus. Before my demotion, I loved the world.

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15-17

Below, the Scripture speaks of where my life is today. I am humbled by how far God has brought me in a short while. I stand in awe of His great love for me. I vow to spend the rest of my life sharing my story as He directs.

Friends, I encourage you to share your story as well.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.